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Facts about the Patient Safety Advisory Group

December 5, 2017

In April 2002, The Joint Commission appointed a panel of widely recognized patient safety experts to advise it on the development of Sentinel Event Alert, The Joint Commission’s patient safety newsletter. At that time, the panel was named the Sentinel Event Advisory Group. Over time, the group’s responsibilities expanded to include advising on National Patient Safety Goals, and in 2009 the panel was renamed the Patient Safety Advisory Group. The group is comprised of nurses, physicians, pharmacists, risk managers and other professionals who have hands-on experience in addressing patient safety issues in a wide variety of health care settings.

The Patient Safety Advisory Group advises The Joint Commission on existing, newly identified and emerging patient safety risks. The Group also advises on the most effective methods that The Joint Commission, Joint Commission Resources, and the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare might employ to assist health care organizations in identifying and reducing these patient safety risks. The Patient Safety Advisory Group:

Annually recommends program-specific National Patient Safety Goals for adoption by The Joint Commission Board of Commissioners.

Reviews draft patient safety recommendations for potential publication in the Joint Commission’s periodic Sentinel Event Alert advisory, and advises Joint Commission staff as to the evidence for and face validity of these recommendations, as well as their practicality and cost of implementation.

Recommends potential future topics for Sentinel Event Alert.

Assesses and facilitates learning initiatives about sentinel events, Sentinel Event Alerts, and the National Patient Safety Goals, including the implementation and effectiveness of the National Patient Safety Goals. Learning initiatives include on-line tools such as Frequently Asked Questions and PowerPoint presentations; tool kits to facilitate implementation of the National Patient Safety Goals; and educational seminars and workshops.